What’s the deal with Macronutrients?
You have no doubt heard of macronutrients when it comes to dietary guidelines. But what is the significance of those macronutrients for your body’s functions, and why are the proportions so important. The three macronutrients for nutrition are protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
It’s no secret that eating a balance of key nutrients are essential for optimal health and fueling the functions in your body. The key to understanding that balance is to find out what works best for you. Each person is different and that is why macronutrients are integral in how you approach your dietary fuel intake. So, let’s break down each macronutrient and how it works in the functionality of the human body.
protein
Typically found in animal products, but also found in plants, protein is a key macronutrient that is necessary for several functions throughout the body. Proteins contain amino acids, and amino acids construct different parts of your body such as muscle, brain, nervous system, skin, hair, and blood. Your body produces 11 of its own amino acids, but needs the other 9 “essential amino acids” found in protein sources. Those 9 amino acids are:
Histidine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Valine.
Through our consumption of these amino acids along with the ones we make on our own, our bodies are able to breakdown down food, repair tissue, function our immune system, recover muscle, and grow muscle. Proteins also create our hormones. There are two types of protein - complete and incomplete. Complete contain all of the essential amino acids, while incomplete proteins only contain a few of the essential amino acids that we need to consume through food.
Foods that are a good source of complete proteins are:
Animal products, such as meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, and dairy
Soy
Pistachios
Quinoa.
While the USDA recommends 10%-35% of our diet come from protein, that percentage varies on individuals and what your body’s needs are.
carbohydrates
“Watch your carbs,” is an phrase heard often, but why is that? Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred method of getting its fuel since glucose is easier to convert in the body. This fuel is essential for your brain, muscles, and cells to function.
Carbohydrates can be either complex or simple. Complex Carbohydrates are categorized by long strings of sugar units that take the body longer to breakdown. These types of carbohydrates are better for the blood glucose levels as they don’t cause large spikes. The fiber found in complex carbohydrates are what aid digestion and cholesterol levels. Simple Carbohydrates have shorter strings of sugar units that are broken down pretty quickly in the body causing the spikes in blood glucose levels.
Foods that are considered complex carbohydrates are: fruit, peas, beans, vegetables, and rice. Simple carbohydrate food sources are table sugar, honey, maple syrup, candy, fruit juice, and soda.
The USDA suggests that a typical diet consist of 45%-65% of our daily intake. This can vary as it pertains to your personal needs and health.
fats
Long demonized in the mainstream, fats are essential to our survival, and have in recent years thankfully been gaining the recognition that they deserve. Fats are not evil, they are essential. We need fats to do various tasks throughout our body. Some of those functions include insulation through the body, cell function, and protection of our organs. It is interesting to note that our brains consists of 65% fat, so intake of fat is essential for good cognition.
The USDA suggests that a typical diet should have 20% to 35% of their daily intake come from fats. So, what kind of fats should be included in our daily intake?
There are different types of fat that we may consume: saturated and unsaturated. What’s the difference? Saturated fats mostly come from animal sources and by-products such as dairy. Unsaturated fats come mostly from plant sources, but can also come from foods like eggs, dairy, and meats from grass-fed animals.
The unsaturated fats can also be broken down into two categories of polyunstaturated and monounsaturated. Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAS) are a healthy fat found often times in fatty fish, nuts, and seeds and in some oils. These fats can help lower LDL cholesterol, improve brain function, aid heart function, and improve depression and Alzheimer’s Disease risk. Monounsaturated fats (MUFAS) assist the body with cell function, absorption of vitamin D, supports immune function, and aids in bone health. These types of fats are often found in avocados, butter, almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans, and peanuts.
One group of fats that you want to stay away from are the trans-fats. These are hydrogenated and can be found in many processed foods. Oils that you want to stay away from include soybean, canola, sunflower, safflower, rapeseed, grapeseed, and cottonseed oil. The seed oils are highly processed and contain high oleilic acids that are not good for your body, and will increase your risks for heart disease as well as other risks.
finding your balance
It is clear that finding a balance in your diet isn’t just through the latest fad diet, but through careful inspection of what works best for you. And finding that right combination of macronutrients takes a little bit of time to figure out, but once you do get the ratios right, you are on your way to optimal health. A great place to start is to ask your doctor a baseline recommendation, and then work with a health coach to help you tweak those percentages till you find the one that is right for your body.